Signaling system



J. B. TAYLOR.

S IGNALING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED DEC-1 1, 1915.

1,410,626. Patented Mar. 28,1922;

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JOHN BELLAMY TAYLOR, 0F SCHENEGTADY, NEW YORK.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Application filed December 11, 1915.

lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates tosignaling systems for use in indicating the relative bearing of a moving object with respect to another object, moving or stationary.

The invention is herein described with reference to marine vessels, but the applica tion to air ships, submarine boats and other moving objects will be apparent.

It has become common practice to equip vessels of substantial size with wireless telegraph apparatus and such apparatus may be used by vessels nearing each other in a fog to communicate each to the other information as to the direction in which the vessel is proceeding with reference to the points of the compass. But, although the receiving vessel would thus be advised of the direction in which the vessel sending the message was proceeding with reference to the compass, it would not know in what position the sending vessel lay with reference to the vessel receiving the signal. As is well known, it is difficult to tell from what point a sound which is heard at sea in a fog emanates so that audible signaling devices such as fog-horns do not sui'iice to indicate with sufficient accuracy the position of one boat with reference to another.

In the following specification I describe a signaling system by which a. boat may receive from another boat or from a shore station signals by which the bearing of the sending'boat or shore station with reference to the receiving boat may be ascertained. The system involves the provision of two or more signaling devices adapted for sending audible or other sound signals mounted upon a ship at predetermined distances apart and means for sounding these signaling devices in a definite time relation. Thus, two signaling devices may be located fore and aft of a ship, spaced apart by a distance of 545 feet through which distance sound will. travel in one-half second. Also, the sound ing apparatus for actuating the two audible Specification of Letters Patent. I p m md 'gg 1922,

Serial No. 66,246;

signaling devices may be so arranged as to sound the fore signallng device one-half second after the aft signal device is sounded.

The sounds given by such signaling appa ratus could be employed for transmitting. informatlon without the aid ofspecial receiving apparatus upon the receiving ship. If

the sending ship were proceeding directly toward the receiving ship, the sounds from the two signaling devices would be heard simultaneously at any point along the linedirectly ahead of the receiving ship, owing to the greater distance and greater time required for sound to travel from the aft sig naling device on the sending ship as compared with the distance and time required for sound to travel from the fore signaling device to any point on said line, as for instance the point 'on such line coinciding with the position of the receiving ship at that instant. =1'f we assume that the-fore and aft slgnaling devices are 545 feet apart, through which distance sound will travel in half a second, and the aft signaling device is arranged to be sounded exactly half a second before the fore signaling device, so far as the receiving-ship is concerned the sound from the aft signaling device of the sending-ship will reach the fore signaling device just in time to merge with the sound emitted from the latter device, provided the sending-ship is approaching the receiving ship head on.

If the sounds from the two signaling devices on the sending-ship are received at the re ceivmg ship with an interval of onefull second between them, the operator on the receiving ship would know that the other ship is proceeding directly away from ,him.

Thus, the length of the time interval between the reception of the two signals upon the receivlng ship, ranging from one second down to zero, would serve to indicate the angle at which the sending ship is heading relative to the fore and aft line of the receiving ship. it may be desirable in cases where the sendmg ship is heading directly. for the receiv-' ing ship, to ascertain the direction in which the sending ship is proceeding with reference to the compass, and wireless telegraphy may be utilized for this purpose. Of course it will ice-understood that'for theoretically accurate work, suitable correction'should be made for the velocities of the two .ships in comparison with the velocity of sound. However, .since shipspeeds of from fifteen to thirty miles, per hour compared with the may include a traveling tape actuated by a velocity of sound, which is roughly 700 miles per hour, would indicate a maxlmum correction of four or five per cent, and such a correction only for some ositions and velocities, this relative veloclty factor may be safely disregarded in most cases.

The sounding of the two signaling devices upon the sending ship would be repeated at relatively short intervals, for instance, at intervals of about ten seconds, and the variation of the time interval between the two sounds as the repetitions occurred could be readily followed and would serve to indicate with a substantial degree of accuracy and over an extended period of time, the relative positions of the two ships.

If the time interval of repetition of signals is known at the receiving station and the time interval of reception of the repeated signals is carefully noted, the speed or movement of the second ship may be estimated.

If desired, the two signaling devices provided upon the ship at a predetermined distance apart might be arran ed to give sounds of different pitch and in t is case, the time relation given above as to the sounding of the two signals might be varied. Then, supposing that the signaling devices were sounded simultaneously and that. the source at the stern of the ship were of the higher pitch, sounds in rising pitch sequence heard on the receiving ship and emanating from the two signaling devices of the sending ship. would indicate that the sending ship was proceeding toward the receiving ship, whereas, on the other hand, sounds of falling pitch sequence would indicate that the sending ship was proceeding away from the receiving ship. a

In combination with such signal transmitting mechanism, I may employ mechanism for facilitating the accurate reception of the transmitted signals. The receiving mechanism may include means for recording the times of reception of the two sounds emanating from the two signaling devices on the sending ship. Such receiving apparatus chronometric mechanism together with a marker actuated in a suitable manner upon reception of the sounds. The extent of separation of the marks on the tape resulting from the two actuations of the marker would then serve to indicate the relative bearing of 7 the sending ship." 'So also other more elaborate known direction-indicating sound receiving devices, such for example as the apparatus of my patent 'No. 939,349, may be used to supplement and check the indications deducible from the emitted sounds.

I have illustrated constructions which may be employed in the practice of the invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a side view of a vessel equipped with my improved transmitting and receivmg apparatus; F ig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the signaling devices and the mechanism for operating them; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the receiving apparatus; and Fig. 4 is a view of a piece of tape with the signal marks thereon. The vessel shown in Fig. 1 is provided with twosignaling devices 10 and 11, mounted at a prearranged distance apart. These signaling devices are preferably bells of substantial size mounted at a distance of 545 feet apart, through which distance sound travels in onehalf second. Means'are provided for soundlng these two signaling devices in a predetermined time relation; preferably, the bell -10 at the stern would 'be sounded one-half second ahead of the bell 11 at the bow. Any suitable apparatus for striking the bells in the desired time relation and repeating the soundlng of the bells at the desired intervals may be employed.

In the present instance, I have shown a rotating contact device 12 having contacts 13 and 14 upon its periphery adapted to coact with brushes 15 and 16, whereby circuits are closed through solenoids 17 and 18. Each of these solenoids is provided with a core 19 which is connected by levers 20 with the pivoted clapper 21 of the corresponding bell. The mechanism for rotating the cylinder-12 may be such that the contacts 13 and 14 are carried under the brushes 15 and 16 once every ten seconds, and the two contacts 13 and 14 may be spaced apart a distance equal to 1/20 of the circumference of the cylinder 12. This arrangement of the parts would result in strikin the bells 10 and 11 once every ten secon s, the bell 10 being struck each time one-half second ahead of the bell 11.

If desired, the two bells 10 and 11 may be so constructed as to give sounds of different pitch. Then the bells may be sounded simultaneously and, assuming the bell at the stern to be the one of higher pitch, sounds of rising pitch sequence received at the receiving ship and emanating from the two bells would indicate that the sending shlpwas approaching the receiving ship. On the other hand,-sounds of falling pitch sequence given by the two bells would indicate that the sending ship was proceeding away from the receiving ship.

It will be appreciated that with apparatus of the character indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 for-sending signals from one ship to another, the sounds emanating from the two signaling devices could be received on the receiving ship without the aid of special receiving apparatus. With relatively little experience, a person on the receiving ship would be able to estimate the position-that is, whether heading toward or away from the receiving ship-of the sending ship from the interval elapsing between the successive sounds received from the two bells on the sending shlp. However, greater accuracy may be had in determining the intervals of time between reception of the two sounds by the use of receiving apparatus. Such apparatus consists preferably of a traveling tape, markers for markingupon this. tape, andv manually or automatically actuated devices by which theoperation of the markers may be controlled. In fig. 3 such a receiving apparatus is shown diagrammatically for purposes of illustration the operation of the markers being controlled by-manually actuated devices. A traveling tape is indicated at 22, this-being unwound from the roll 23 by roller 24;, the latter being arranged to bev rotated by suitable chronometric apparatus 25. Between the two rolls,

the tape passes over a support 26, and above this support marking levers 27 and 28 are pivotally mounted and adapted to be rocked on their pivots so as to cause their marking ends to engage the tape 22. Each lever 27 and 28 has an armature fixed thereto and adapted to coact with a magnet 29. .Also, each magnet 29 is' connected in circuit with a battery 30 and a manually actuated key 31. The traveling tape 22 is preferably provided. with transverse lines spaced apart by the distance which the tape would be moved in one second by the chronometric apparatus 25.

A vessel equipped with such a receiving apparatus, if enveloped in a fog and warned by wireless telegraphy of the proximity of another vessel, would start the apparatus 25 in operation to move the tape 22. The operator would then depress the key31 in exact correspondence with the sounds reaching him from the bells l0 and 11 upon the transmitting ship and as a result, the marker 27 corresponding to that key would make a mark on the tape for each depression of key 31. T he separation of two adjacent marks on the tape 22, gauged by reference to .the transverse lines on the tape, the space between any two such transverse lines inclicating one second of time, would serve as an indication of the position'of the transmitting ship with reference to the receiving ship. When the tape shows but a single mark for each signal interval of say ten seconds, the sending ship is heading directly toward the receiving ship. Where the tape shows a pair of marks separated by a space equal to the space between two transverse lines on the tape or a distance corresponding to one second, the

sending ship is heading-directly away from the receiving ship. For intermediate positions of the sending ship relative to the re- 'ceiving ship, the spaces between the successive pairs of marks will indicate the passage,

' of less time than one second, from which the bearing angle of the sending ship may be estiindicated by any pair of marks is not exactly proportional to the angular position of the sending ship but depends on the cosine of the angle.

lhe apparatus above described may advantageousl be supplemented by using a plurality oi receivers spaced apart on. the. receiving'vessel, in accordance with known princlples. by the two keys in Fig. 3, the double record marks being shown on the tape of Fig. 4c.

In the foregoing description and in the drawings, the two slgnaling devices employed fer-transmitting the signals are described as mounted at a definite distance apart fore and aft of the ship. It will be understood, however, that the two signaling devices or an additional pair of signaling devices may be arranged on opposite sides of the vessel and separated by a predetermined distance, preferably as great a dist-ano es may be (01" veniently obtained. If such signaling devices were employed in addition to those arranged fore and aft of the ship, they would preferably be such as would give signaling sounds readily distinguishable from those of the other pair of signaling devices. The additional signaling devices on opposite sides of the ship are for the purpose of giving additional information to check any indicated bearing, and for difierentiating the two symmetrical positions on the same compass course or on the same side of the receiving ship which give the same time interval between receipt of the two signals in a given order. For example, an indication on the tape 22 to the efi'ect that the aft signal of the sending ship is being received a certain fractionof a second later than the fore signal on the sending ship, would merely show that the sending ship is moving toward or away from the center line of the receiving ship at a certain angle. And where this angle is 90, and the sending ship is halfway across the center line of the receiving ship, even a wireless message from the sending ship as to hercompass bearing would not aid in determining whether the sending ship is passing ahead or astern of the receiving ship.

I claim:

1. A signaling system comprising the combination of sound signaling devices at a predetermined distance apart, and means for actuating the signaling devices in a definite time relation bearing a definite relation to the spaced time required for sound to Such arrangement is indicated travel through said predetermined distance;

means for sounding the two signaling devices with a time interval between them substantially e ual to the time during which sound trave s from one signaling device to the other; substantially as described.

3. A signaling system comprising the combination of sound signaling devices at a predetermined distance apart and adapted to give sounds difiering in pitch, and means for soundingsuch signaling devices in a definite time relation bearing a definite relation to'the spaced time required for sound to travel through said predetermined d1s tance; substantially as described.

' r '4. A signaling system for indicating at a receiving station the angular position of a moving vessel and changes of that positron, comprising two individual sound signaling devices mounted on the vessel at known separated points from which the sounds may travel to the receiving station, and means for sounding said devices in known spaced time relation, whereby the position of the vessel with respect to the receiving station may be determined by comparing the time sequence of the received sounds with the known time relation of the emitted sounds; substantially as described.

5: A signaling system for sending signals from a vessel to indicate the angular position of the vessel and changes of that position, comprising two sound signaling devices adapted to give sounds differing in pitch mounted on the vessel at a predetermined distance apart, and means for actuatin the signaling devices intermittently in a de iinite spaced time relation; substantially as describe 6. The method of indicating the position and direction of travel of a vessel with respect t a given point, which consists in emitting individual sounds from two known separated points on the vessel in known spaced time relation and comparing the time sequence of the sounds received at the said point with the known time relation of the emitted sounds; substantially as described.

7. The method of indicating the position and direction of travel of a vessel with respect to a iven point, which consists in emitting individual sounds from two known separated points on the vessel in known spaced time relation, recording the time sequence of successive groups of sounds received at said point, 'and comparing the group records with the known time relation of the emitted sounds; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN BELLAMY TAYLOR.

Certificate 'of Correction. 7 It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,410,626, granted March 28, 1922, upon the application of John Bellamy Taylor, of Schenectady, New York, for I an improvement in Signaling Systems,

Page 3, line 125, claim 1, strike out the word requiring correction as follows:

spaced; page 4, line 11, claim 3, before the word time errors appear in the printed specification insert the word spaced,

and line 12, after the article the strike out the Word spaced; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of May, A. 1)., 1922.

[SEAL] KARL FENNING,

Acting Oomnmissioner of Patents. 

